The present invention relates to the new and distinct plant cultivar of Miscanthus sinensis named ‘Autumn Anthem’, hereinafter also referred to as ‘Autumn Anthem’ and the “new plant” which represents a new and distinct cultivar of ornamental maiden grass for landscape and cut foliage and flower use. The seed was the result of open pollination between Miscanthus sinensis ‘Nippon’ (not patented) as the female or seed parent and the male or pollen parent is unknown but may have been any one of a number of cultivar or seedling selections in the breeding area. Seed was collected by the inventors in late summer of 2010 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. During initial evaluation in the summer of 2011 and afterward the seedling was assigned the breeder code of KH10-11-01. Final evaluation of the single original seedling was performed at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in the summer and fall of 2012.
The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated by division and sterile plant tissue culture at the same perennial plant nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and found to produce stable and identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant. The plant is stable and reproduces true-to-type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Miscanthus ‘Autumn Anthem’ differs from its parents as well as all other Miscanthus known to the applicant. The new plant differs from the seed parent Miscanthus ‘Nippon’ primarily in the flowering long dome effect that covers the top two-thirds of the plant. The flower dome of ‘Nippon’ is shorter and covers closer to the top one-quarter.
The nearest other comparison cultivars known to the inventors include: ‘Gracillimus’ (not patented), ‘Huron Sunrise’ (not patented) and ‘Malepartus’ (not patented). ‘Gracillimus’ is thinner finer textured foliage and flowers later in the season. ‘Huron Sunrise’ is likewise later flowering, but has thicker coarser leaves than the new cultivar. ‘Melepartus’ is earlier flowering than ‘Autumn Anthem’ and also differs in having burgundy tinted foliage. All of the above listed comparison cultivars are also taller than ‘Autumn Anthem’.